The American Future By T.S. Khanna, July 7, 2013

Foundation for Better Government

(www.bettergovt.blogspot.com)

July 8, 2013.

The American Future

By T.S. Khanna, July 8, 2013.

American progress in technological field has no parallel in history.  However, the political arena in America has not kept pace with it.  From technological perspective, there is a solution to every problem; and, from political perspective, there is a problem to every solution.

The citizens cannot draw full benefit of technological progress unless the political system and its operations are brought in sync with technological progress.  Disconnected progress in the two arenas can be harmful to the citizens.

Based on a certain ideology, the American government has remained the product of the time it was created in.  Now the challenge of the changing times demands that the government must also be goal oriented to create the most desired future for the nation.  The leadership must own the responsibility for the nation’s future as well.

Unless there is a vision, direction, and pursuit of the desired future, people can perish by their own untamed progress.  If we do not know where we want to go then every road goes there and we do not get anywhere.  We only spend energy in spinning our wheels.   Not knowing what we want in the future cannot create the desired future.   The desired future is not a gift of God.  It is the expected result of the efforts exerted in the present.

America has the best talent in the world to produce any type of future it desires, but it is not deployed.  

To shape the desired future, we need to

1. First project the future if the present trends continue.  Then identify the alternatives for the desired future by the Generative Scenarios methodology.  This methodology can create a mindset for break-thru thinking in solving some of the problems that seem unsolvable or unbearable;
2. Make comparative analysis of the candidate scenarios keeping in mind the resources along with cost/benefit analysis to select the most desired 20-year future scenario.
3. Develop policies, plans, programs, and goals supportive of the selected future scenario at all governmental levels----federal, state and municipal.  Incidental advantage of such action would be the emotional unity of the nation for the common purpose;
4. Develop measures of effectiveness or progress for the various efforts to be exerted for the desired future;
5. Make periodic review/evaluation of the progress of the efforts in action to modify, add, or eliminate efforts according to their cost effectiveness.
6. Make annual review of the desired future scenario to make changes as felt necessary.

The future belongs to those who plan and pursue it; not to the thoughtless drifters.  Unless we struggle to have what we like, we will have to struggle to like what we have.